Current telecommunications networks can supply a variety of telecommunications services to customers such as Plain Old Telephone Services (POTS), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines. These services are supplied via customer subscriber lines which are typically copper cables connected to a customer Main Distribution Frame (MDF). The customer MDF is usually located in a service box in the street cabinet near to the customer's premises. A Multi-Service Access Node (MSAN) is connected to a provider MDF which is also located in the service box. To supply a particular telecommunications service to a customer the service provider must make connections between the customer MDF and the provider MDF. However the data rates of the broadband services strongly depends on the distance from the distribution box to the end subscriber. This means that in order to provide broadband services at high bitrates telecom operators must shorten the distance from the distribution box to subscribers. Obvious consequence of that is increase of the number of distribution boxes and equipment installed there, which also means that more field engineers is required to services these boxes. This is something that the telecom operators must keep under control and there is a need of having installed in the distribution boxes cheap equipment (i.e. low capital expenditure—CAPEX) and equipment that is service free or almost service free (low operational expenditure—OPEX). One of these emerging on the market broadband services is Very-High-Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) and its second generation VDSL2 technology. Very-High-Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) is a broadband technology providing much higher data rates than other xDSL technologies over relatively short distances (between 51 and 55 Mbps over distance up to 1200 m in length from the distribution box). VDSL 2 uses different to VDSL part of the spectrum and has speed up to 100 Mbps at a range of 3500 m. With such good characteristics the VDSL (and VDSL 2) services can be really successful on the market providing that the cost of equipment, cost of its installation and maintenance is low.
Hence, an improved apparatus and method of switching-in new connections and switching-out obsolete connections would be advantageous and in particular one that allows for performing the operations without, or with significantly reduced, the need for service engineer making the connections in the service box deployed in the field.
Accordingly, the invention seeks to preferably mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the disadvantages mentioned above singly or in any combination.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, as defined in claim 1, there is provided an apparatus suitable for providing telecommunication and data services in a telecommunications network to a plurality of subscribers. The apparatus comprises a first distribution matrix connected to a crossover matrix and a second distribution matrix connected to said crossover matrix. Said crossover matrix comprises a plurality of 2×2 crossover switching elements and is adapted to be connected to a main cable and to a distribution cable. The apparatus further comprises a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer. Crossover switching elements in said crossover matrix and distribution switching elements in said distribution matrices are controlled from a remote location. The apparatus is adapted to add data services to a subscriber line by switching the subscriber line from the crossover matrix to the first distribution matrix and from the first distribution matrix via means for combining and/or separating low frequency voice signal and high frequency data signal to the second distribution matrix and back to the crossover matrix, wherein the means for combining and/or separating is adapted to receive the high frequency data signal from the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, as defined in claim 15, there is provided a telecommunications network including a broadband network for providing at least one data service and an apparatus suitable for providing telecommunication and data services to a plurality of subscribers. The apparatus comprises a first distribution matrix connected to a crossover matrix and a second distribution matrix connected to said crossover matrix. The crossover matrix comprises a plurality of 2×2 crossover switching elements and is adapted to be connected to a main cable and to a distribution cable. The apparatus further comprises a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer. Crossover switching elements in said crossover matrix and distribution switching elements in said distribution matrices are controlled from a remote location. The apparatus is adapted to add data services to a subscriber line by switching the subscriber line from the crossover matrix to the first distribution matrix and from the first distribution matrix via means for combining and/or separating low frequency voice signal and high frequency data signal to the second distribution matrix and back to the crossover matrix, wherein the means for combining and/or separating is adapted to receive the high frequency data signal from the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, as defined in claim 30, there is provided a method of operating a telecommunications network in which a broadband network provides at least one data service. In the network, a plurality of subscriber lines are connected to said network through a crossover matrix comprises a plurality of 2×2 crossover switching elements and on request to add a data service to a subscriber line a crossover switching element of the crossover matrix, the crossover switching element being associated with said subscriber line, switches electrically the subscriber line on a subscriber cable side of the crossover matrix to a second distribution matrix. On a main cable side of the crossover matrix said crossover switching element associated with said subscriber line switches said subscriber line to a first distribution matrix. The distribution matrices switch the subscriber line to their ports connected to means for combining and/or separating low frequency voice signal and high frequency data signal and said means for combining and/or separating combines the low frequency voice signal with high frequency data signal received from Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer. The crossover switching elements in the crossover matrix and distribution switching elements in the distribution matrices receive control signals from a remote location.
Further features of the present inventions are as claimed in the dependent claims.
The present invention beneficially allows for building a switching apparatus for use in street cabinets, which require significantly smaller number of basic switching elements. Additional benefit is that the invention can be easily installed in the network and the installation process is limited to cutting the existing cable and connecting the two ends to connectors of the apparatus according to the present invention and additionally connecting the cable providing the broadband services and a power supply cable. The apparatus does not require servicing and can be enclosed in a sealed box, which has the advantage that it can be placed even in a harsh environment even without using a street cabinet. The present invention is a scalable solution and allows for easy increase of availability of high data rate broadband services that follows subscribers' demand. Additional benefit is that the present solution allows avoiding building new street cabinets. Cost of these new cabinets may be high due to the fact that they must comply with environmental conditions of active equipment and that larger, noisier cabinets may not be allowed. Obviously it is worth to note that the cost of installation for cabinet-based installations is higher than that of non-cabinet installations.